Match-striking composition



Nov. 24, 1936. R. s. PULLEN MATCH STRIKING COMPOSITION Filed July 18, 1952 IiIl/.Illl

i l o oo oomlolmd.-

Rodney Southwick Pullen, to Pullenlite Company,

4NITEsrxlas 'ATENT OFFICE accalsi Maron-sanrkmc COMPOSITION Akron, Ohio, assignor Philadelphia, Pa., a

corporation of Pennsylvania Application .Inly 18, i932, Serial No. 623,304

My invention relates to the match-st riking surfaces of safety matches of the type which ignite during withdrawal from the match packet.

By a match-striking surface I mean to designate the surface against which the head of the match is scratched in order to light the match. I wish to distinguish the match striking surface from the match head, which is not. a part of my present invention and may he any match head suitable for use in a sa'fety match.

A purpose of my invention is to form a matchl striking surface of markedly increased sensitivity for use with safety matches which ignite during withdrawal from the packet.

A further purpose is to improve the match striking qualities of water-proof striking surfaces used with safety matches of the pull-and-light variety by increasing the sensitivity of such striking surfaces.

A further purpose isto produce a composition for the match-striking surfaces of pull-and-light safety matches which will dry quickly,

and therefore which is well adapted for machine application to the match packet.

A further purpose is to prevent destruction of the sensitiveness of the match-striking surface of a safety match due to blushing of the matchtion and in the claims.

striking composition during its process of dry- Further purposes will appear in the specifica- My invention relates both to the methods involved and to E.the articles produced.

In the drawing I have illustrated one type only of the many varieties ofmatch packets to which my invention might shown because it typical of match packets of this type, a

be applied, choosing the form is conventional and largely nd because it conveniently illustrates the principles of my invention.

I have also illustrated one form o many devices which might be used blushing of the striking material.

nly of the' to prevent Figure 1 is a perspective view of a match packet to which my invention has been applied.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the blank from which the match packet of Figure l has been formed.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic central vertical section "of a heater forfpreventing blushing of my match-striking composition.

\ light variety are universally safety matches, and 5 therefore they require a safety match striking surface.

However, the safety match striking surface in a pull-and-light packet must meet somewhat different Aconditions from those encbuntereby the Io striking surface on a box of safety matches, for example, or on a tear-off-and-strike packet of paper matches. In the pull-and-light packet, it is fundamental that the match can be drawn only once across the striking surface, and, therefore, the match head must be infallibly ignited in a single passage across the striking material.

Due to the weather conditions to which match packets are subjected, it is quite important that the match-striking surface be water-proof, so that it will not be injuriously affected by moisture.

In seeking to develop a water-proof match-striking composition for use in a pull-and-light packet,

I have found considerable diiiiculty in producing a material having the required sensitivity. Compositions which are in all respects satisfactory for use with box matches, for example, fail utterly to give satisfactionA with pull-and-light matches because they are much too insensitive, and frequently fail to light a. match during with- 3u drawal.

I have discovered that the character of the solvent used in match-striking compositions is important in determining their suitability for mV DUI'DOSe.

As is common in striking compositions for safety matches, I employ red phosphorus as an essential ingredient. I add nitro-cellulose as a water-prooflng material. As a solvent for nitrocellulose, I find that it is quite important to use 4g acetone rather than any other available solvent.

Acetone .produces a match-striking surface of very high sensitivity,.while other solvents, whose ability to dissolve nitro-cellulose is equal to or greater than that of acetone, fail to produce a sensitive striking surface.

Many solvents are entirely unsuited because of their excessive volatility, too great inilammability or very poisonous character. Ether is out of the question for all of these reasons.

The only solvent other than acetone whose properties compare favorably with those of acetone is amyl acetate, but it is distinctly inferior to acetone. Amyl acetate forms a lacquer-like film over the phosphorus after the match-strik- 5| match head and the that it is muchomore volatile than amyl acetate.

pocket of the user.

4across a striking tion formed with amyl acetate retains that it may be As a consequence, when a match has been drawn surface prepared using acetone, the match will light infallibly, due, the close contact possible between the phosphorus of the striking material and the match head. The abnormal, and unexpected sensitivity of an acetone-dissolved match-striking surface has been proved repeatedly by my experiments.

- The striking surface resulting, from the use of acetone lacks considerable in toughness, so that it is untted for Vfurther use at a given locality after a match has been struck once at that place. 'Ihis characteristic entirely units an acetone dissolved strikingsurface for use on matches, for example, where the same portion of the match-striking surface must be used repeatedly. However, the greatly increased sensitivity of the acetone striking surface more than makes ,up forany possible disadvantage due lto its tenderness, particularly where a given portion of the striking surface is used only once, as is true in a pull-and-light packet.

The striking surface resulting from the use of amyl acetate, on the other hand, is quitetough, i,

but, diie to-itsflack of sensitiveness, is unsuited for use on'pull-and-light packets. A

practical advantages Acetone oiers further over amyl acetate as a solvent for nitro-cellulose.

After drying, the composition produced by using acetone is practically odorless, but the composiodor of bananas or pears due to the amyl acetate and this odor is very persistent and quite objectionable in a packet which During the application of the match-.striking composition to the match packet byV machine, the use of amyl acetate as a solvent is particularly objectionable because of its slow-drying qualities. A' composition in which solvent dries very quickly, on the other hand, therefore making possible increased speed of production.

My match-striking composition ispreferably applied in the form of a paint; I do not concern myself in the present application with the particular method by which the-match-'striking composition is applied to the match example, it may be brushed on by hand, printed on or sprayed on. l

In Figures 1 and 2 I show a conventional match packet of the type in which the matches are ignited during withdrawal. The packet com-L prises a blank 20 having holes at 2| .and 22 through which the matches 23 are threaded. The blank is scored at 24, 25, 26, 21, 28, 29 and 30, so folded as shown in Figure 1` into packet. For

= folded portions-3l,' 32', 33, 34, 35,^ 3'6, 31 and 38.

The packet is held together in any suitable manner,'as by a' metallic clip 39.

On the portions 36 and 38 a match-striking material is located at 40 and 4I, made in accordance with my invention..

VWhen the stick-end of a match 23 is pulled -low percentage of `red dissolved in acetone to y preferably that of paint. apparently, to

a box of safety.

somewhat according to the strong must be carried in the.

acetone is employed as a terial without thepossibility of machine or by l causing ignition. The head then'passes through one of the holes 22.

I have secured very excellent results with a phosphorus, and in no case have I found it necessary to add more than 5% by weight of the total nixture. The remainder of the composition will comprise nitro-cellulose the proper consistency,

I may obtain -my nitro-cellulose from one of a number of sources. I preferably use the commercial product known as cotton dope but IA may use some other form of nitro-cellulose or some material containing substantial quantities of nitro-cellulose, provided objectionable solvents are not present. y

I may, if I desire, add-abrasives, such `as powdered glass, to my match-striking composition but I do not und that they are necessary.

In order to increase'the adhesive qualities of my match-striking composition, I may also add .Y

some glue, although this is not essential.

'I'he proportions of the ingredients may vary the desired viscosity of the material when it is applied to the packet. I preferably dissolve the adding acetone until the composition is of about the viscosity of common paint, and introducing red phosphorus until it makes up say 5% of the mixture. v

The jd phosphorus is diffused uniformly throughout the mixture, so that, after drying, some of it is available at the surface for ready contact with a matchheid.

I have'found that my match-striking composition, consisting of red phosphorus, nitro-cellulose and acetone, has a tendency to change its character during drying under certain weather conditions, particularly when the air is very moist. Under these conditions, the phosphorus settles to the bottom of the strikinglm, injuriously affecting the sensitivity of the match-striking composition, and at the same time the composition becomes white in color. rI'his change I call blush- Blushing is' not harmful, from the standpoint of change in color, but is particularly objectionable since it markedly decreases the sensitivity of the striking material.l I nd that I may avoid blushing entirely, where it exists, by drying the match-*striking material at elevated temperature. I nd that a temperature of 175 F. will sumce to dry the match-striking mablushing", although higher temperatures may be used.

As a convenient means of preventing blushing, I pass the blank to which the 'match-striking material has been applied through a suitable drier, In Figure 3 I illustrate a drierA 42 having a heating chamber 43 and heated in any suitable manner, as for example, a'n electrical resistance coil 44. A large blank 45, to which the match-striking material has been applied, is passed through the heating chamber 43 prior to cutting into small blanks 20.

It will` be evident that additional ingredients of various sorts may be added to the red phosphorus,nitrocellulose and acetone of my matchstriking composition, without varying or destroying the effectiveness of the other ingredients.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual him or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benets of my invention without copying 10 during drying of substantially increasing the temperature of the match-striking surface while it is drying, whereby blushing is prevented.

2. The method of preventing injury to the sensitivity of a match-striking surface comprising red phosphorus, nitro-cellulose and acetone during drying of the surface which consists in raising the surface to a. temperature of above 175 F. during the drying period.

RODNEY SOUTHWICK PULLEN. 

